Television Personality. Born Robert Jolin Osborne, he was best known to television viewers as the long time host for Turner Classic Movies (TCM). He graduated from the University of Washington's School of Journalism. After college, he began his career as a contract actor for Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball's Desilu Studios. He would go on to appear in such television series as "Death Valley Days," "The Californians," "Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse," "Whirlybirds," "One Step Beyond," and "The Beverly Hillbillies." He even had a bit part in the films "Psycho" (1960) and "Spartacus" (1960). After acting in "The Beverly Hillbillies," he decided to concentrate his career more on journalism. In 1977 he started a long stint with The Hollywood Reporter and five years later, became an entertainment reporter/critic for KTTV in Los Angeles. In 1984 he began to host movies on the cable network The Movie Channel. In 1994 he joined Turner Classic Movies and became the host of their nightly broadcasts. He would go on to host special one-on-one "Private Screening" interviews on the network and co-hosted the TCM showcase "The Essentials." In 2011 he took a "short break" from his position due to a minor surgery. The next year he began to share some of his hosting duties with Ben Mankiewicz. He continued to host films on TCM until his passing. He authored many books about the film industry and received several honors and awards for his career work.
Television Personality. Born Robert Jolin Osborne, he was best known to television viewers as the long time host for Turner Classic Movies (TCM). He graduated from the University of Washington's School of Journalism. After college, he began his career as a contract actor for Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball's Desilu Studios. He would go on to appear in such television series as "Death Valley Days," "The Californians," "Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse," "Whirlybirds," "One Step Beyond," and "The Beverly Hillbillies." He even had a bit part in the films "Psycho" (1960) and "Spartacus" (1960). After acting in "The Beverly Hillbillies," he decided to concentrate his career more on journalism. In 1977 he started a long stint with The Hollywood Reporter and five years later, became an entertainment reporter/critic for KTTV in Los Angeles. In 1984 he began to host movies on the cable network The Movie Channel. In 1994 he joined Turner Classic Movies and became the host of their nightly broadcasts. He would go on to host special one-on-one "Private Screening" interviews on the network and co-hosted the TCM showcase "The Essentials." In 2011 he took a "short break" from his position due to a minor surgery. The next year he began to share some of his hosting duties with Ben Mankiewicz. He continued to host films on TCM until his passing. He authored many books about the film industry and received several honors and awards for his career work.
Bio by: Mr. Badger Hawkeye
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